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A string of cyberattacks on a wide range of corporate and government systems — everyone from Lockheed Martin and Sega to the IMF and the U.S. Senate has been hacked this year — has raised serious concerns about data security and the threat of cyberterrorism.

LulzSec — whose name is a combination between "laughs" and "security" — is a splinter group of Anonymous, an older hacktivist organization that targets anything it sees as a threat to Internet freedom.

The profile shows how Anonymous -- once just a rebellious group of hackers acting in the name of Internet freedom -- has mutated into a quasi-cyberterrorist organization. LulzSec has now moved beyond paralyzing websites and into the realm of data theft.

Security experts say LulzSec has about 10 core members who are known for their hacking expertise. The group claims responsibility for recent hacks into the U.S. Senate system and an FBI affiliate InfraGard.

This week, the group released sensitive personal data about members it suspected of snitching to law enforcement agencies, an indication of LulzSec's particularly ruthless brand of cyberterror.

"These goons begged us for mercy after they apologized to us all night for leaking some of our affiliates' logs," according to a letter addressed to the FBI and "other law enforcement clowns. "There is no mercy on the Lulz Boat."

The group tweeted yesterday that it has "some nice things" planned for tomorrow. Stay tuned…